- 3 months ago
Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca previews their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace and gives an update on City’s latest transfer activity
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00:03He played amazing and he's had a difficult, let's say, last two seasons.
00:09He had a really good period, I think, at the start of last season.
00:13Basically, he hasn't been the player really since he was the double football of the year
00:17and helped City win four leagues on the bounce.
00:22Do you or do the club know why?
00:23Because it's quite a long time for a player of such quality to sort of not be quiet at his
00:27best.
00:29I'm quite happy for a field game, the last game against Bournemouth, to be honest.
00:35Also, he played winger, second half he was a little bit more inside the pitch.
00:40That is the position that we know is the best position for him.
00:43But again, in this moment, with the Jeremy injury, we are trying to find a solution.
00:48But I'm happy with the feeling, the way it was the other day,
00:53knowing for sure that he can give much more.
00:56But no doubt that he's going to be, again, the field that we all know and we all want.
01:03So just picking up on that last point, considering all the senior players or big players that left,
01:09are you confident Phil can be one of your leaders,
01:12one of the sort of big forces for your City team this season?
01:16I don't know if he can be one of the leaders, but for sure, as you said,
01:20because many players left, he has to be one step forward in terms of personality, leadership and these kind of
01:26things.
01:26But again, since day one, I'm very happy with, very pleased in the way he's working,
01:31and also in the way he's with, you know, he's smooth, he's happy, he's good.
01:35Enzo, were they all spoken about how you introduced new things to the way the team defends,
01:40and players don't really like to come out of their comfort zone.
01:44So how are you finding the reaction of the players to these new things?
01:47And I don't know how much you can share of what you're doing new for them.
01:52No, the reaction from the players has been very good since day one.
01:56They want to, you know, they want to also know new things in the way we try to work with
02:04the defensive line.
02:07In the past, with Leicester, we conceded less goals over the league.
02:12With my first season at Chelsea, I was the first best defender.
02:16Last year, when I left the club, we were the fourth best defender.
02:19So it's a way that gives us results.
02:22This is the reason why we believe a lot on that.
02:25And we are working.
02:27Now it's more or less one month, and I'm quite happy in the way they are working.
02:31So the reaction has been, give us more, tell us more, send more videos in the WhatsApp or whatever it
02:38is.
02:38That's the reaction of the players.
02:39Yeah, we try to, you know, we try with the coaching staff.
02:44When we try to install new concepts, also, you know, in terms of video, meeting, 1v1,
02:50we try to let them know in the way we want to behave when we defend and when we attack.
02:57Hi, Enzo.
02:58It's a bit similar to what Guillaume was saying about when Josque Guardiol was talking about the new challenges they're
03:04facing.
03:05I think specifically he was talking about him being the full-back and having to press to jump up into
03:12the winger.
03:12It's obviously not an easy role to adapt to.
03:16I think we saw maybe Bournemouth's goal came from that situation at the weekend and then the Kluivert chance was
03:22similar.
03:23How long do you think it will take for the players to adapt to pressing in that way that you
03:30like?
03:34I think we are quite close.
03:36Against Bournemouth, in terms of pressing, we recover 76% of the ball.
03:43That is a fantastic result.
03:4876% of the pressing, we recover the ball.
03:51Then it happens that once or twice you don't recover and you can concede.
03:55But it's normal, it's football.
03:57But I think we are, the players, they are understanding in the way we want to defend, to press.
04:07Josque the other day off the ball was very good.
04:09Then on the ball he scored the second goal.
04:11So it was good.
04:15Is that just how football is at the moment with the quality in the Premier League?
04:18You can win 76% of the balls, but then if they have one or two chances that are really
04:22good chances,
04:23do you just have to accept that that's normal?
04:25Or is it something still that you can work on?
04:27It's football at the end, you cannot control everything.
04:32But personally, it's much better.
04:33If you are able to recover 76% of the ball, then 50%.
04:37That means that you give less chance to the opponent.
04:41But again, you cannot control everything.
04:43It can happen in set pieces or it can happen in any moment.
04:46Do you remember your numbers or those numbers from your previous jobs?
04:51Like, is 76 the norm for your teams?
04:54Or is that especially high?
04:56No, to be honest, I don't remember.
04:59I know the percentage because the day after when we analysed the game,
05:04watching the game with all the numbers,
05:06they gave me this number that is an important number.
05:15Pep would always tell us that he quite liked a small squad here,
05:18despite challenging it in four competitions.
05:20Just from your perspective,
05:22do you prefer to work with a smaller group or a larger group
05:24to give you more options?
05:26No, I think probably the right idea is to have two players in each position,
05:32also because they need to compete between them.
05:37The standard, they are higher when they can compete for every game.
05:43So for me, the ideal situation is to have two players in each position.
05:46And then we have Ryan Macedo with us, Samba with us, Kaden with us.
05:50So I think with three or four also academy players with us is enough.
05:56If there wasn't to be any more business before the window shuts,
05:59would you be comfortable with the number that you've got given,
06:01that you've got Champions League games, League Cup games, FA Cup games to come this season?
06:06At the moment, I think we have 21 or 22 players that can be the right number.
06:13But also in this moment, we have the three or four players from the academy
06:16that they are involved in this number.
06:17So probably thinking that we are going to play 65 games, 60 games, 65,
06:22I don't know exactly, probably we need more numbers probably.
06:27And just from you personally, you were here obviously as an assistant
06:30before you became a head coach yourself at Leicester and things.
06:33You know some of the players from your time here.
06:35Has your relationship with those players had to change,
06:38given that you were once the assistant and now that you're the boss?
06:42No, no, also because in the way I like to have relation with the players,
06:49it's quite a simple relation, so it doesn't change.
06:54What changed a lot from my previous experience here is that I think 90% of the squad is not
07:00here.
07:00I think it's Erling, Ruben, Phil, probably, Rico.
07:07Three or four more players, no more than that.
07:09So the squad is completely new.
07:13Hi, Enzo.
07:14Since you arrived two months ago, there's been a huge turnover of players
07:18and possibly more to come.
07:19How do you go about fostering a spirit and a camaraderie within a group
07:24where there's been so much change?
07:26Pap liked hugs.
07:28Yeah.
07:29What's your sort of approach?
07:30Since I joined the club, already two months.
07:33Anyway, since I joined the club, I knew that, you know,
07:38with 10 years with the same manager,
07:41also the idea was to change players for different reasons.
07:45As I said, players that they were not playing many minutes,
07:47they have the desire to leave.
07:49Players that for any circumstance, any reason why they decide to leave.
07:53So I knew that there was a big change, you know, in terms also of squad.
07:58But again, I'm not, it's not something that I'm worried about.
08:04And tactically, how difficult has it been to get messages across to players
08:08when you've had ones coming back from the World Cup late,
08:10you've had some players involved heavily in pre-season and then leave
08:13and you've potentially got, well, you have got new players
08:16and potentially more new players to come.
08:17How difficult is that?
08:18Oh, yeah, it's been complicated, again,
08:21because you want to install new concept, new things,
08:23it's new manager, even if there are similarities with the previous one.
08:30But at the end, all the managers are different,
08:32all the players are different.
08:34So it has been a little bit complicated
08:37because players are late, now we don't transfer.
08:40That's why the Marguerite solution, or probably for tomorrow another different solution,
08:46is because we need to, it's my duty, my job, to try to find solution for the players
08:52and trying to help the players to win games.
08:54Because at the end, they are the ones that go inside the pitch and win the game.
08:58So is it fair to say we won't see perhaps the best of Enzo Morescu's Manchester City
09:02until certainly after the window closes, but possibly later into the season?
09:07The only thing I can say is the same thing I said after Arsenal game,
09:12and the same thing is now after Bournemouth game,
09:14that there are things that we did quite well in the previous game,
09:20there are things that we did quite well against Bournemouth,
09:22but there are many things that for sure we are going to do better.
09:29Enzo, good morning.
09:31To go back to Bouadi, it's perfectly clear he's a very talented player,
09:35but what is it that you saw him and the club seeing him for now and for the future?
09:42Specifically, what are his attributes, would you say, going forward?
09:48He's an old midfielder.
09:51He knows he has the right balance between defending, give balance to the team.
09:56On the ball is very good because also he is in the right position.
10:01He is where he has to be when the team has the ball.
10:04And he's very intelligent.
10:05It's just, again, it's 18, but he's very intelligent.
10:09And no doubt that he's going to be a fantastic player for this club now and in the future.
10:16But again, with 18, you never know how long they need to adapt.
10:22But you kind of hinted that we have an expression that someone is older than they look.
10:27Would you agree with that in terms of his football intelligence?
10:30Absolutely, yes.
10:31100%.
10:32He's doing a degree as well, isn't he?
10:33Second?
10:34He's doing a degree at university as well.
10:35Yes, yes, yes, also.
10:37And I met the family here, the training ground.
10:40I met already the dad a week ago, speaking, but now they were here.
10:45And you can see that in terms of presence, he's intelligent and he looks very good.
10:54How good do you think he could become in the future?
10:57No, no.
10:58I understand there's no pressure on him.
10:59I think he can be a top player, no doubt, no doubt.
11:04But again, we need to help him to do the right path.
11:07We need to help him to give minutes in the right moment.
11:11It's not just a right, go inside because the pressure, because most of us, we judge players
11:19in how much we pay.
11:21That is not like this, unfortunately.
11:23But no doubt that he's going to be a top player.
11:27Thank you, everyone.
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